Kentucky’s newest crop of kindergarteners is around the corner from screening that looks at how “ready” they are to begin their K-12 journey.
The BRIGANCE Early Childhood Screen III is the common kindergarten entry screener adopted by the state more than a decade ago to measure a child’s developmental standing before they begin their formal public education.
The window for screening opens 15 days before the instructional year and closes 30 days after the year begins, which varies by school.
The brief 10 to 15 minute screener assesses children in three developmental areas: academic and cognitive, language and physical development.
Parents or caregivers then also fill out information on a child’s social and emotional skills and “self-help” or ability to do things like put on their own clothes.
Results primarily aim to inform parents and educators whether any further testing or support is needed to bring kindergarteners up to speed as they begin their formal public education.
Using the BRIGANCE method, kindergarteners are screened into three buckets: “ready,” “ready with enrichments,” which exceeds baseline readiness, or “ready with interventions,” meaning a student needs additional support.
Parents of kindergarteners will receive their child’s screener results through a report, though different schools and districts distribute the information on through timelines and methods.
It’s standard, however, for a “ready with interventions” score to prompt a one-on-one conversation with a kindergartener’s family, according to Dr. Jenny Watson, vice president of early learning and family power at EducateNKY, a nonprofit focused on improving Northern Kentucky’s education landscape.
Those conversations often lead to additional diagnostic testing and decisions about whether to bring in support like special education services.
In Kentucky, the decision whether a child is in a kindergarten classroom for the entire day — or goes to preschool for certain skills like math — lies with the principal, according to Watson.
“The goal is always to get the parents on your side,” she said.
Screener scores also serve as a key metric for stakeholders like EducateNKY that run initiatives to improve support systems before children start school.
Since Kentucky adopted the statewide screener in 2013, data shows the percentage of students ready or beyond ready for kindergarten has bounced between roughly 44% and 51%, according data from the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood.
“It’s not good enough,” Watson said. “So I’m not going to stop in this effort till 100% of our kids are ready for kindergarten.”
Kindergarten readiness scores are even lower in the six river cities, where EducateNKY recently expanded its Read Ready Network, which provides and coordinates resources specifically aiming to prepare kindergarteners for success.
Available resources include reading and learning materials, wraparound support with a network of partners including healthcare providers and preschools and community events.
Dr. Jaesook Gilbert, a professor of early childhood education at Northern Kentucky University said that a student’s readiness hinges on those resources and support systems. “The child’s readiness for kindergarten or school readiness really depends on all other entities, which is the adults that touch the child’s life,” Gilbert said.
But Gilbert also noted that despite the importance of BRIGANCE screening, the assessment only captures a moment in time.
“It’s just that 15-minute snapshot. So, you know, you got to take it with a grain of salt,” she said.
Watson also touted the strength of Kentucky’s schools for getting kindergarteners up to speed once they arrive, regardless of a readiness score.
“Once the child is in school the full day, there’s a lot more opportunities for them to catch up than you would think,” Watson said.
